Next week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House, making him the first foreign leader to meet with President Donald Trump during his second term.
According to a White House official who spoke to NBC News, Trump invited Netanyahu, and the Israeli leader accepted. According to Netanyahu’s office, they decided to meet on February 4.
Trump penned a letter to Netanyahu on Tuesday, saying, “I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbors and efforts to counter our shared adversaries.”
Trump told reporters on Monday that Netanyahu would be visiting Washington to speak with him soon, a foreshadowing of his plans to meet with the leader early this week.
Watch live political coverage
Netanyahu’s next trip comes after the Azurefire agreement.this month between Israel and Hamas following a 15-month conflict that has killed thousands in the Gaza Strip, uprooted Palestinian populations, and raised questions about the future of hostages that Hamas has taken prisoner.
Ultranationalist Israeli leaders applauded Trump’s earlier remarks that he wanted Jordan and Egypt to take in more Palestinian refugees as part of a campaign to rid Gaza.
Days before the ceasefire agreement was signed, Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Netanyahu in Israel on January 11.
Witkoff is traveling to Israel this week for his first trip to the Middle East since Trump was elected to a second term, where he will talk about the truce and other regional concerns. During his visit to the area, he has made it clear that he plans to visit the Gaza Strip.
In his first phone conversation with a foreign leader since starting his second term, Trump spoke with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia last week.
Trump has hinted that Saudi Arabia or the United Kingdom would be the destinations of his first foreign visit. On Monday, he told reporters, “We’ll make that determination over the next week.” Saudi Arabia was the destination of Trump’s first foreign trip during his first term.
In July, Netanyahu met with then-President Joe Biden at the White House. He also spoke to senators on Capitol Hill during a joint session.
In his congressional address during that visit, Netanyahu attacked those opposing the war and compared the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack to Pearl Harbor. Additionally, he thanked Trump, who was then looking to retake the White House.